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DeaQuan, age 6

“This is a very sweet boy, who has come a long way.” ~Caseworker

A child that everyone really likes, DeaQuan loves school buses and is an avid collector who is constantly adding to his school bus collection.  He also loves music and to dance and sing. Despite the odds against him, he has an ongoing zest for life, is warm and affectionate towards others and loves to give hugs goodbye.  He needs a family who will provide him with patience, consistency and trust while challenging DeaQuan to continue to learn to do things for himself and accept him for exactly who he is.

Levi, age 4

“Levi can write and read most anything and is very advanced for his age.” ~Foster Mother

Levi is a bubbly, cute boy with a warm smile that lights up his face. He likes to play on the computer, enjoys listening to music and having musical instruments played for him. Levi, who functions with sensory issues, is equally gifted and challenged.  He is affectionate and interactive, but views life through a distinct, one of a kind lens.  This little guy is in need of a family who can provide love, consistency, routine, and affection.

Indra and Ralph

Dear Birthparent,
Thank you for taking the time to read our letter to you. We can only imagine the range of emotions you must be feeling at this time and we hope this introduction will help you decide what is best for you and your child.
We are very excited to adopt a baby. We have been together for almost ten years and are ready to expand our family. We met in Portland and soon discovered the many things we have in common. We thrive on outdoor adventures including snow shoeing, kayaking, camping, and hiking. Indra loves to spend time in the garden, growing food, flowers and trees. Ralph loves to ski and kayak on the rivers and ocean with his friends. We both enjoy traveling to visit family and to explore new places.

Indra’s spiritual beliefs and practices have been greatly influenced by her years overseas. She appreciates the common themes of love, light, compassion and generosity that are at the heart of most religions. Spiritual outlets include meditation, yoga, the outdoors and the Unitarian Church.  Ralph is open and tolerant of people’s religious beliefs and believes that there is wisdom and comfort that can be gained from a spiritual practice.  We will support our child to pursue a spiritual practice and expose them to the world’s religions.  To celebrate holidays, we visit our family or spend time with close friends.  We enjoy collaborating on meals and merriment, carving pumpkins, making wreaths and decorating our living tree with creative ornaments.

We have a wonderful community of friends here, and many of our friends have young children.  Indra and I frequently take care of them.  We both enjoy seeing the world through their eyes, reading books with them, exploring the outdoors, and just playing with them.  We share similar views on parenting and we have spoken in great detail about the way we want to raise our child. We feel strongly that every child deserves a sound education. We both worked hard in school and over time we met our goals. When Ralph first met Indra she practiced massage therapy and today she is a nurse. When Indra first met Ralph he was an attorney at a local law firm and now he works on conservation issues.

Indra thinks that Ralph is a smart, focused and determined individual with a contagious sense of humor and an amazing ability to bring out the best in people.  He will be a loving and engaged father. Ralph thinks Indra is a funny, sweet, and most importantly to him, a highly trustworthy and loyal companion. 

Ultimately, we hope to provide a loving and nurturing environment that will allow our child to grow happy, healthy and strong.  We are very excited to begin the adventure of parenthood and look forward to the possibility of meeting with you. We also look forward to finding a comfortable level of openness that will be beneficial for all of us.  We expect that our relationship will evolve over time, but we are open to visits and frequent letter/picture updates.

Sincerely,

Indra & Ralph

Tara and Liam, ages 6 and 5

“These kids are very connected—they need each other.”  ~Caseworker

With such cherubic and sunny smiles, it is hard to imagine that this beautiful sister and brother are in great need of an adoptive family.  Tara will likely need lifelong assistance for her profound delays; Liam is bright, but struggling to make sense of the hurts in his past. Together, they need an especially courageous, loving and skilled family.

*Photo Credit: Oregon Heart Gallery

Heidi and Jason

Hi, 
Thank you for reading about our lives.  Your courage is something to be admired.  It is difficult to sum up our lives in just one letter.  Hopefully you’ll get a better feeling about who we are when looking through our book.  If you have any questions about us please ask.

Heidi says about how we began:  We met while Jason did his nursing internship at the rural hospital I worked at as the billing clerk.  His supervisor asked me to show Jason around my small hometown.  After getting to know each other it blossomed into a summer romance.  We dated for 2 years and got married in Jason’s mom’s beautiful lakeside yard.  We wanted a small ceremony but our parents invited 300 people!  It was a great time to spend with family and friends.  We’ve had so much fun together these past 16 years being married.

Heidi says about Jason:  My husband is one of the nicest people you could ever meet.  He’s polite, sarcastically funny, witty, intelligent, very nurturing, and when he commits to something he always follows through.  I love to make him laugh—his eyes light up and he has the best smile.  He puts his family first.  I feel like I won the lottery finding him.  He is a natural with babies.  His medical background is a plus in raising children and he also doesn’t have that “ick” factor about changing dirty diapers.  I cannot wait to see him as a dad.  I will love him even more.

Heidi says about our life together:  I have chosen to put my career on hold in the hopes of becoming a mom.  This will allow me to be at home with our baby.  I enjoy cooking & baking so most of our meals are organic and homemade.  Our house has a nice welcoming feel to it—very laid back and comfortable.  We’ve remodeled and updated the whole house.  We enjoyed decorating the nursery.  There’s a sign that reads “Relax” on our porch to let visitors know they can just hang out and enjoy themselves.  On any given day there’s music playing or NPR on the radio.  We’ve got a beautiful fenced yard and we live a few blocks from the city park and the library.

Jason says about our interests:  We are lucky that we married best friends—each other.  We enjoy spending time together.  We have a small RV.  We love adventures!  The beach and ocean are favorites for us.  We’d like to live near the beach at some point.  We both enjoy live stand-up comedy.  Music in any form is important to us:  live concerts, cd’s, and our iPods.  We like to stay healthy and use our exercise equipment.  We also like bicycling and hiking.
 
Jason says about Heidi:  My wife is a very loving person.  She is quick to comfort and care for those she loves.  Beautiful—her humor and fun loving spirit warms everyone she meets.  Strong—she’s not afraid of hard work and she seldom gets stressed.  Skilled—as a baker she fills our home with the smells of treats to come.  As an artist—she’s always exploring new things to learn, from floral design to mosaics and gardening.  Protective—for those she loves.  She will surround our child with a safe, enriching, and warm home to grow up in.  I smile each time I think about the happiness she will feel as a mom.

Jason says about our family and pets:  Between the two of us we have 6 parents, 4 siblings with 2 spouses, 3 nieces, 2 goddaughters, and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.  We have 3 cats:  Tucky, Thief, & Bruiser.  They are spoiled rotten and loved.  Both of us grew up with dogs and we plan to get a puppy in a few years so our child can have that same great experience.
 
With our heartfelt promise we will love and cherish your child completely.  Our baby will be the center of our world.

You’re in our thoughts,
Heidi and Jason

Donnie and Bonny

Dear Birthparent,

My name is Donnie. It’s hard for me to know what to say in this letter because I am not much of a writer. I am 33 years old and I work for a local automotive repair facility. I have worked there for 16 years. I am extremely close to my grandparents as they played a major part in raising me. My favorite hobbies are riding ATV’s, camping and anything that involves playing in the mud.

My wife’s name is Bonny. She is a very outgoing lady. She likes to shop (a little too much) and I know our child will be spoiled rotten. Bonny is going to be an awesome mom. She is very good with children and she doesn’t mind changing diapers! She is a strong willed person and she can take charge of any situation that comes her way.

We spend a lot of time with each other. We enjoy camping, going to the movies and relaxing with our dog. We like to hang out with our friends and their children. We like to barbecue and have everyone over for game night in our basement game room.

Bonny and I love kids and after our struggles with trying to have children biologically, we are very excited to go through this process. I want to be able to provide the best future possible while also paying attention to the importance of the child’s background. Letters, photos and scheduled visits would be great ways to communicate until the child is old enough to decide the level of openness.

I just want to thank you for taking the time to look at our family book and get to know us a little better. This will probably be one of the hardest decisions you will ever have to make in your life and I just hope we can be a part of it.

Donnie

Dear Birthparent,

I’m not sure how to express on paper the heartfelt gratitude that I feel for you at this moment. Adoption has to be one of the single most selfless things a person can do. I know you have a lot of choices to make right now and I hope and pray that you are blessed in whatever decision you make.

I would like to tell you a little about myself, my husband and our relationship. My name is Bonny and I am in my early thirties. My absolute favorite hobby is shopping. I am always up for a little “retail therapy” and I enjoy it so much I even offer to shop for others. I have a great job as a payroll clerk and I have worked for the same employer for almost sixteen years. I love to spend time with my family and friends. I have a passion for photographing sunsets and love nothing more than to curl up with a good book.

Donnie is my husband and my best friend. I am truly a better person because of him. He is my rock and he is always there to make me smile and laugh. He is going to make the best father. I have never met a child who hasn’t instantly fell in love with him. Donnie’s greatest strength is his honesty. He is not one to keep you guessing. While I’m in the mall he likes to be outdoors. If there’s dirt or grease involved he is in his element. There isn’t much you can do to upset him. He is a laid back, easygoing person to be around. He also has a very stable job as an automotive technician.

As a couple we have far more in common than rhyming names. We have an amazing relationship with a strong sense of support and communication. We sometimes even find ourselves completing one another’s thoughts and sentences. Our friends comment often on how great our relationship is and we both agree that we are very blessed. We make it a point to enjoy ourselves no matter what we are doing. One of our most favorite activities is camping in our travel trailer. Whether we head to the coast or the mountains we always have fun when in one another’s company.

Donnie and I have tried unsuccessfully to have children biologically for over eight years. It has been a roller coaster of emotions but we have always had the choice of adoption to help keep us grounded. I understand the importance of openness and will do everything in my power to ensure that our child will know all aspects of his or her life story. Through photos and letters and occasional visits my hope is that this child will be raised knowing just how special and how loved he or she truly is.

Again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your consideration.

Bonny

 

Madisen, Chase, Hayden and Jaydah, ages 12, 9, 7 and 4

“I’m good at helping others, but I’d like a family to not be so busy and have more down time. I also love animals and want to help them too.”

Madisen genuinely wants what’s best for herself and her siblings – two parents they can trust and rely upon. In the past, Madisen has shouldered weighty responsibility. She is ready to enjoy just being a kid, while pursuing her love of the arts. Chase is a hard-working, hands-on, outdoorsy guy. Watchful, he observes situations before jumping in. Easygoing Hayden is a character! Alert and interactive, he has ample to share when given the chance. Strawberry blonde and all sugar ‘n spice, sweet Jaydah is quick to snuggle, whether with caregivers or her baby dolls.

A happy handful, this quartet will wow any adoptive family!

*Photo Credit: Oregon Heart Gallery

Alonzo, Taylor & Shailee, ages 11, 8, and 5

“We want a sporty, laidback family who also likes to do home activities, and who has fun doing anything. We want to do new things and don’t mind having new brothers or sisters or animals, especially dogs!”

These children appreciate being a part of a lively household! A multi-sport athlete, solid student and musician, Alonzo is an exceptional achiever. He aims to please. Talkative and lively, Taylor is all sparkle and spunk. Extra supports keep her focused in school. Ever-so-sweet and just-slightly-shy describe Shailee. She is making phenomenal progress with her speech delays. “A joy” and “a delight” have been used to describe this affectionate trio. Are you the special and capable family they can count on?

 

James & Hannah, ages 5 and 2

“These children are very sweet and happy and love to run outdoors.” ~ Foster Mother

James gets ecstatic about dinosaurs, cars and his new bike!  A meticulous but happy little guy, he prefers order over chaos.  Little Hannah is busy exploring the new world that has been opened up for her since having come into care.  This twosome needs savvy parents who can juggle the individuality of each!

Olivia, age 9

“This child is one hundred percent big spirit and big heart.” ~Caseworker

Active, flamboyant and open-minded, Olivia enjoys mastering new skills. Her accomplishments include horseback riding, swimming, ballet and gymnastics; her passions encompass all artistic endeavors, and the color purple. Olivia dreams of owning her own dog someday. Despite intellectual and cognitive challenges and delays, Olivia is gradually taking a greater interest in learning to read and write. Even with the emotional turbulence in her life, Olivia is both insightful and caring. She is a unique blend of strengths and vulnerabilities, waiting to blossom with a receptive family.